The Five Scarves - Dragonkin Return Part 3
by RaceProUK
Summary: (Book 1 of 3, Part 3 of 5) The Gotoshi: a collection of five city-states formerly of an empire over five hundred years old, and home of the Jade Alliance. It is the mission of the Five Scarves, operating under the pseudonym 'Elemental Protectors', to visit each of the five dojo in turn, and neutralise the threat against the Elemental Crystals. [Kai Xin created by Ultrablockstar]
1. Chapter 1

The night of their arrival in Mokuzaihanto, the Five Scarves embark on their first infiltration: the Mokuzai-dojo. Remaining without their scarves in order to hide their presence from Serpentine better, they approach the dojo perimeter at the stroke of midnight.

"Final comms check," Rob whispers into his wrist communicator. "Go, no go?"

Maria: "Wood go."

Danny: "Earth go."

Xander: "Water go."

"Where did you get these again?" Hanna asks.

"Your favourite husky, Kai Xin," Rob explains. "He cannibalised some of Brevon's tech to make-"

"Fire go," Hanna growls.

Rob sighs. "All go; commence mission," he commands.

The Scarves begin their infiltration: Hanna and Rob take the east perimeter, Danny and Xander cover the west, and Maria, the best at stealth, takes the north approach alone. The plan: Maria reaches the inner sanctum first, with the others arriving soon after as backup and emergency extraction.

* * *

The plan proceeds without fault; Maria is indeed first to reach the inner sanctum. Sticking to the shadows, she works her way through the corridors; the patrols are thin and easy to avoid, but they are stalling her progress.

An hour after mission commencement, Maria finally reaches the Grand Master's quarters; finding a convenient duct at ground level, she prises the grille off silently and enters the duct. With the grille slid back into place, Maria quickly scales the duct and crawls through to another grille over the centre of the main room.

A quick glance at her communicator; her friends are closing on her position, but they're still several minutes away. Carefully, she begins to prise the grille free; as she shifts from the far corners to loosen the near, the trap is sprung. Maria feels a rope tighten around her ankles, binding them together; another pins her arms to her sides, and a third tightens between her teeth, effectively gagging her. Before she can react to the ropes, the floor of the duct opens. Maria drops into the room, jolting with a pained squeak to a halt four feet from the floor; swaying gently, she lets out a long moan as the ropes bite into her flesh.

"Well, who do we have here?" a jet-black sable purrs, entering the room.

Maria painfully contorts to eye the stranger. "Get me down!" she tries to say; the rope gagging her mangles the words almost incomprehensible.

"Oh, I'll get you down," the sable confirms. "But not yet. Maybe in the morning; consider hanging there all night punishment for breaking into the private quarters of Ryoichi Nakano, Grand Master of the Mokuzai-dojo."

Maria screams incomprehensible pleas as she struggles to break free.

"I wouldn't struggle, little one," Ryoichi advises. "The more you struggle, the more the ropes tighten, and the more it'll hurt."

Maria struggles a few moments more. Eventually, the pain is too much; she relents, sobbing, accepting she's not getting free anytime soon.

"Good," Ryoichi soothes. "I'll be back in the morning," he adds, retreating to his bedroom.

Maria stops crying the instant Ryoichi is out of sight. _With acting that good, I could have been a movie star!_ Slowly, she moves her left arm towards her tanto, grimacing with pain every fraction of an inch as the rope cuts deep enough to start to draw blood. With her fingertips, she gently unsheathes the blade; just as tip slides free, Maria fumbles and drops the tanto.

With an exasperated sigh, Maria waits for her friends to arrive and rescue her.


	2. Chapter 2

Ten minutes later, Maria, struggling to cope with the pain of the ropes, hears a shuffling sound from the ducting overhead; she tries to turn to look up, but it hurts too much, and she concedes defeat. A moment later, she hears two figures drop either side of her. A familiar fox tail is laid over her mouth to discourage her from making a noise; with her own mercifully free tail, Maria points to the door that Ryoichi disappeared through before.

As Rob moves towards the bedroom, Hanna picks up Maria's tanto. Supporting Maria's weight as best she can, Hanna first cuts the rope holding Maria's ankles, then the one pinning her arms; once those ropes are removed, Hanna cuts the third while simultaneously dropping Maria. Maria drops to the floor, collapsing into a quivering pile; desperately, she scrabbles at the rope gag, pulling it off, gasping as she tries to push the pain out of her mind.

Danny and Xander drop in beside the injured Maria; Hanna signals they should help Rob. As a team, the three boys break into the bedroom; seconds later, they drag Ryoichi out. Xander pins him to the floor, a few feet from Maria; Hanna stands over the prone Grand Master.

"How long were you going to leave her hanging like that?" Hanna growls.

"Why are you breaking into my quarters?" Ryoichi spits; Hanna places her boot on the side of Ryoichi's head, pushing it firmly into the floor.

"I'll ask the questions!" she barks. "How long were you going to leave my friend hanging?"

"Until morning!" Ryoichi grunts. Hanna applies more pressure; Ryoichi lets out a yelp of pain.

"Utterly despicable," Hanna growls. "Metal, Earth, let's see if we can demonstrate how painful that experience would be."

* * *

Five minutes later, Ryoichi is brutally bound; every movement he makes causes the ropes to cut into his flesh. Maria's mercifully light wounds are being treated by Rob and Danny, while Xander waits behind Hanna, in case Ryoichi breaks free. Hanna's confident Xander won't need to act though; she knows from experience how good Rob and Danny are with restraining ropes.

"Now you're finding out how much ropes hurt, let's get to the reason we're here," Hanna growls through a wicked smile; extending her claws, she looms over Ryoichi, placing her claws on his throat. "Why are you after the Elemental Crystals? And what does Serpentine want with them?"

"The… what? Who?" Ryoichi questions, perplexed.

"Don't toy with me," Hanna spits; she digs her claws in just enough to hurt.

"I assure you, I have no idea what you're talking about." Ryoichi is attempting to remain calm, but the pain from the ropes and the claws is beginning to show.

Hanna fixes Ryoichi with a piercing stare for a full minute; eventually, she concludes he's telling the truth. "I believe you." Hanna backs off, retracting her claws. "A word of warning. Should you _ever_ decide to go after the Crystals, know this: they are held in the most secure location in the city, guarded by a powerful army. There are two allied armies ready to assist. And at the head of their combined might, us; as you now know, we _don't_ mess around."

"Noted," Ryoichi replies. "Are you going to let me go now?"

"Wood, how long were you hanging?" Hanna asks.

"About ten minutes," Maria answers; the words come out a little oddly as she's still recovering from the effects of the rope.

Hanna looks around the room; spying a smoke detector on the ceiling, she pulls out a smokebomb, and sets the timer to ten minutes. "There; when that goes off, it'll trigger the alarms, and your goons will come to free you," she explains, setting the smokebomb down under the detector. "Plus it'll be a good distraction for our egress."

"One last question," Ryoichi asks as Hanna's friends climb the cut ropes into the ducting. "Who are you?"

"'The Elemental Protectors'," Hanna answers as she gags Ryoichi; once done, she climbs the rope.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the smokebomb goes off; it triggers the smoke alarm seconds later. During the confusion, the Five Scarves make their escape, and flee to the outskirts of Mokuzaihanto; they set up camp at the edge of the Midorioka.


	3. Chapter 3

Midway through the following morning, Maria unusually is the last up; she still bears the marks of the previous night's misfortune. "How long do rope burns take to heal?" she asks.

"No idea, I'm afraid," Hanna answers. "The only time I've been tied up, it was actually quite comfortable; I didn't get any burns."

"I've got an icky clown smile thing going on," Maria sighs, checking her reflection in her tanto's blade. "Do you think some of the Magister's elixir will get rid of it?"

"We're saving that stuff for emergencies," Danny reminds.

"Poo." Maria sits heavily beside Hanna.

"We have some sports tape," Danny offers. "You could use that to cover the marks on your arms and legs."

"That could work," Maria replies. "Even though it'll look silly."

Danny passes a roll of sports tape to Maria; as she covers her rope burns with the tape, Hanna notices Rob's manner is a little odd, as if he's holding back a question. "Come on Rob," she sighs. "Just ask."

"OK; what sort of name is 'The Elemental Protectors'?" Rob asks.

"We're keeping our identity as Red Scarves secret, remember?" Hanna explains. "Plus it's a better name than 'The Five Scarves' anyway. And it reflects why we're here."

"Bit of a mouthful though," Xander counters.

"'The Five Scarves' does sound better," Maria adds. "Prettier."

"While I too prefer 'The Five Scarves', I think it's better to stick with 'The Elemental Protectors' while in the Gotoshi," Danny explains.

"And it's still better than 'Team Freedom'," Hanna smiles; Maria giggles at the name.

"'Team Freedom'?" Rob inquires.

"It's what Lilac wanted to call her little band of do-gooders," Hanna explains.

"I thought they were 'Team Lilac'?" Xander asks.

"So vain of her to name her team after herself!" Maria exclaims.

"Carol coined the name," Hanna explains. "Lilac doesn't like it, but the media picked up on it, and it's stuck."

"Such a silly name!" Maria sings as she finishes applying the sports tape; handing the roll back to Danny, she stands and poses. "What do you think? Looking good?"

The others take a few moments before responding.

"It's… covering the rope burns at least," Hanna mumbles.

Maria stops posing; she sits heavily again, unimpressed. "It looks silly, doesn't it?"

"No, not at all!" Hanna soothes. "OK, a little," she admits a moment later. "But it's still better than missing patches of fur."

"I guess," Maria sighs. "Could do with a mask to hide this icky clown smile."

"We'll find something in Kinzokumori," Danny assures. "Speaking of, we should get moving. If we make good time through the forest, we'll arrive before nightfall; we'll then have time to top up supplies and get Maria a mask before hitting the dojo."


	4. Chapter 4

Upon arrival in Kinzokumori, the Five Scarves find a suitable black scarf for Maria to wear over her mouth to hide the rope burns. With that task complete and supplies replenished, midnight sees them at the perimeter walls of Kinzoku-dojo; Hanna and Maria team up for the north perimeter, Danny and Xander taking the south, and Rob tackling the west solo.

Once everyone is in position, Rob runs through the codename comms check; Rob's communicator has developed a minor issue, but not enough to delay the mission. After a couple of small tweaks to the device, Rob gives the go signal. As before, the infiltration goes smoothly; within an hour, the three-pronged approach has all five Scarves on the verge of breaking into the inner sanctum.

* * *

Maria is the first to the periphery. While she waits for Hanna to catch up, she uses her communicator to locate the others; Rob is a minute away, the other boys a couple of minutes further out. Once Hanna has caught up, Maria taps out the 'in position' code; Rob responds with the same code almost immediately, Danny checking in a couple of minutes later.

* * *

With everyone in position, Rob moves further in, aiming for the Grand Master's quarters. The infiltration is proceeding slower than Mokuzai; however, an hour and fifteen minutes into the mission, Rob reaches his goal. Checking on the locations of the others, he finds the girls three minutes away, the boys seven.

Mindful of the trap that was sprung on Maria in Mokuzai, Rob proceeds through the ducting over the quarters with great care, stopping every few feet to check for traps; this allows his friends to catch up and adopt positions ready to move in at a moment's notice. Satisfied there are no traps, Rob begins to loosen the grille that will allow him to drop into the room; just as he frees the last corner, his communicator malfunctions, squealing loudly. Rob drops the grille in surprise; it falls to the floor below with a loud clatter.

Cursing under his breath, Rob scrabbles with his communicator; after an interminable moment, he finally silences it. Sighing in relief, he's surprised again when a hand reaches into the duct and pulls him through into the room; landing heavily on the floor, the wind is knocked out of him.

"On your back!" the mottled-copper tanuki screeches, resting the tip of a katana on Rob's neck; Rob rolls onto his back, wincing as he rolls over his dislocated shoulder. "Hands where I can see them!" the tanuki commands. Rob raises one hand; his attempts to lift the other prove unsuccessful. "I said _hands!_ "

"My shoulder's dislocated," Rob explains.

"Pathetic worm!" The tanuki draws her second katana and places the tip over Rob's groin. "Now talk!"

"What about?" Rob asks.

"Don't be a fool!" the tanuki sneers. "Why did you break into my inner sanctum?"

"Because no-one answered when I knocked."

"Insolent wretch! Don't you know who you're addressing?"

"Where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself either! Allow me to correct that error; I go by the name of Metal."

"Clearly a codename; who do you work for? You're not one of us."

"Sorry, the client-mercenary agreement doesn't permit me to reveal that information."

"Then you shall die by the blades of Tsubaki Moto, Grand Master of the Kinzoku-dojo!"


	5. Chapter 5

Tsubaki raises her katana, preparing to cleave Rob's head from his shoulders; she pauses when she feels the tip of a ninjato on the base of her spine.

"Don't move. And drop the blades," Hanna commands; the words are almost rendered insensible by the depth of Hanna's growl.

"And what if I don't?" Tsubaki retorts defiantly.

"I'll sever your spinal cord," Maria replies, increasing the pressure she's applying through the ninjato; Tsubaki arches her back in reflex.

"…fine," Tsubaki spits, dropping her katana; they clatter loudly on the floor.

Hanna picks one of them up and moves in front of Tsubaki, placing the tip of the katana on the tanuki's neck. "Earth, Water, restrain her."

Danny and Xander move either side of Tsubaki. Using a roll of sports tape each, they bind the tanuki's wrists just below the shoulders. Once done, Hanna withdraws the katana and Maria lowers her ninjato; Danny and Xander then move to help Rob.

"What do you want with me?" Tsubaki demands, lowering her arms to her chest.

"Answers," Hanna explains, picking up the second katana.

"And what if I don't give you any?" Tsubaki challenges.

"These are nice blades," Hanna muses, turning the katana in her hands, comparing the two. "Slightly asymmetric; an unusual choice. And so ornate too; such detailed filigree. Be a shame if anything happened to them…"

"They can be replaced," Tsubaki hisses.

"Oh. In that case, I'll start cutting off body parts." Hanna places the katana either side of Tsubaki's neck, one over the other like scissors. "Like you were going to do to my boyfriend."

"You wouldn't dare kill me," Tsubaki challenges.

Hanna winces at the sound of Rob's shoulder being relocated. "Try me," she hisses.

Tsubaki fixes Hanna with a defiant stare; Hanna returns a determined expression, allowing the darkness in her soul to surface. For a few moments, Tsubaki is unmoved; however, the longer the stare lasts, the deeper she sees into Hanna.

"You've killed before," Tsubaki eventually concludes, her voice still edgy, yet somehow lacking venom. "Yet I sense a great hesitation to do so again."

"Wood has no such hesitation," Hanna hisses; on cue, Maria lays the edge of her tanto across the front of Tsubaki's neck.

"Then I will comply," Tsubaki relents.

"Good." Hanna withdraws the katana, placing them gently on the floor beside the tanuki. "Why are you after the Elemental Crystals?" she asks as Maria stands down.

"I'm not; in fact, I wasn't aware of their existence until now. What are they?"

"Protected by the combined armed might of three cities, led by us, the Elemental Protectors."

"Sounds like they're safe from even the most audacious of attempts."

"Absolutely."

"Anything else?"

"Why are you working for Serpentine?"

"Who is Serpentine?" Tsubaki asks. "I've never met anyone by that name before."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Are we done now?"

"Yes; you've told us all we need to know."

"Good. Untie me."

Hanna pauses a moment. "I think not; after all, we don't want you raising the alarm before we're gone."

"I could raise the alarm, bound or not; all I need to do is scream loud enough."

"Good point; Earth? Gag her. Oh, and bind her legs too."

Danny nods to Hanna. After gagging Tsubaki thoroughly, he and Xander force her to sit; Danny then binds the tanuki's ankles together.

Don't worry," Hanna assures. "My boys know what they're doing; you'll be comfortable until you're rescued in the morning."

One by one, the Scarves help each other back into the duct, leaving the bound Tsubaki to her muffled curses; they escape the dojo undetected, and arrive safely at their Subarashimori campsite a couple of hours later.


	6. Chapter 6

Mid-morning the next day, and the Five Scarves are reflecting on their mission so far. While doing so, Rob is repairing his communicator, and Maria is refreshing her sports tape bandaging; her black scarf mask remains in place.

"We've been quite lucky so far," Hanna observes. "It seems we're able to stay ahead of our reputation."

"That won't last," Danny cautions. "We may have beaten it to Kinzokumori, but there's no guarantee the Kasai-dojo won't be expecting us."

"Didn't you say the dojos were always fighting each other?" Xander asks.

"That's what Helms told me," Danny confirms. "However, he also said that someone was uniting the dojos."

"But the two we've visited so far have no knowledge of Serpentine," Maria counters.

"I know," Danny sighs. "So is there someone else?"

Hanna stiffens slightly at Danny's question. "Surely you don't mean-"

"Aquila? No." Danny is quick to answer. "The chances of him landing near enough to the Gotoshi, and then being able to unite the dojos, all within a few weeks…"

Hanna visibly relaxes. "Then who?"

"Serpentine could be using a fake name," Xander suggests.

"Don't be silly!" Maria chuckles. "Who would use a fake name?"

"I don't know Wood," Hanna teases. "But maybe Metal, Earth, or Water can explain?"

"…oh yeah," Maria murmurs.

"In that case, you've been asking the wrong question," Danny concludes.

"What do you mean, _I've_ been asking the wrong question?" Hanna asks defensively.

"You've been running the interrogations," Danny reminds.

"Pretty well too, I'll have you know," Hanna reminds.

"Easy Hanna," Rob soothes. "He's not having a go; we all missed the obvious."

"So when we get to the Grand Master of Kasai-dojo, we just need to ask who he's working for," Xander concludes.

"Easier said than done," Hanna sighs. "Ryoichi and Tsubaki weren't exactly all that co-operative."

"We got _something_ out of them at least," Rob reminds.

"Well, there's no point worrying too much about it now," Danny interjects. "We'd better get packed and moving; the mountain climb may prove rather tricky."

"Not if we go up the main road," Xander counters.

"I think it's better to avoid using the main road," Danny explains. "We've managed to infiltrate two dojos and overpower their Grand Masters; we should assume Kasai-dojo is expecting us, and take precautions."


	7. Chapter 7

The journey up the mountain to Kasaiyama proved to be trickier than anticipated. The city is built on the side of an active shield volcano; several times the Five Scarves had to backtrack and find a new route, either to avoid a lava stream, or a landslide. The sharp rocks were also beginning to take their toll on the vehicles directly; by the time the group reaches the city itself, they'd collectively suffered sixteen accidents, seven punctures, three ruptured fuel lines, and two severed brake hoses. Xander had been the most unfortunate; he'd suffered a brake failure while descending a steep slope, and had to purposefully crash to prevent himself barrelling through a lava stream.

Night had already fallen by the time the Scarves had reached the outskirts of the city. They waste no time heading towards the dojo; it's a risk not to restock, especially as they are perilously low on spare tyres, but as their escape can use the main road, they decide it's a risk worth taking.

Bruised and battered, the Scarves finally arrive at the dojo just before midnight; this time, Hanna goes solo from the west, with Rob and Danny taking the north, Maria and Xander the south. After a quick comms check, during which Rob confirms his repairs have worked, they begin their infiltration.

* * *

Half an hour later, and Hanna is outside the Grand Master's quarters. _This is going_ too _easily…_ A quick check of her communicator shows everyone else is also in position. Hesitant about continuing, she issues a clickcode message over the radio; the clickcode responses show her friends share the same concern. _Something's definitely not right… they must know we're coming… why are they making it_ easy _for us? It doesn't make sense… no point in turning back; let's see this through to the end._

Hanna makes her way into the duct; she exercises an unusual amount of caution, neither wanting to trigger a trap as Maria did, nor get pulled from the duct like Rob was. What she _does_ find is unexpected: peering through the grille into the main room, she sees the Grand Master sitting at the edge of a space quite clearly set up for six to sit around; puzzled, she freezes, unsure of what her next move should be.

"Don't be afraid," the burgundy bat assures. "Please, come and join me; I promise I intend no harm."

Hanna's heartrate leaps; she shrinks back from the grille as much as possible. _This is a trap…_

"You're wary; that's understandable," the bat continues. "You're unsure about my motives; that is to be expected. Even though you have no reason to trust me, I can assure you that my motives are innocent; I have indeed been expecting you as you suspect, and wish to welcome you as my guests."

Hanna doesn't react; she simply observes for a few minutes, during which her friends join her. After a brief exchange of assuring looks, Hanna removes the grille, and slowly pokes her head out.

"Ah, hello at last!" the bat smiles warmly. "Welcome, my dear vixen!"

"Hello," Hanna replies quietly. "Erm… you're expecting us?"

"Why do you think it was so easy for you to reach me?" the bat chuckles. "Unlike my peers at the two dojos you've visited already, I see no reason to offer hostility when I can offer hospitality."

"Forgive me if I'm not exactly eager," Hanna retorts harshly.

"Of course," the bat agrees. "Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Hideyoshi Takenaka, Grand Master of the Kasai-dojo. May I ask how you wish to be addressed?"

"Fire," Hanna answers curtly.

"Ah yes, the use of codenames," Hideyoshi chuckles. "Advisable when on a covert mission. Are your companions here also?"

"Yes, so don't try anything," Hanna hisses.

"Allow me to reiterate I mean you no harm," Hideyoshi responds. Calmly, he picks up the naginata at his side; Hanna tenses, ready to act. Hideyoshi then lays the weapon in front of him, in the middle of the circle, at the very edge of his reach. "I am now unarmed," he declares.

Hanna relaxes a little. _He's not playing around; he really means us no harm._ Without taking her eyes of Hideyoshi, Hanna drops out of the duct to the floor; her hands go instinctively to her nunchaku, but she doesn't draw them.

"Please, take a seat." Hideyoshi indicates the set of five places behind Hanna; cautiously, she takes her place in one of them. "Will your friends be joining us?" the bat inquires; one by one, the other Scarves drop down and take their places. "Good," Hideyoshi smiles. "Now we can get down to business."


	8. Chapter 8

"Why are you after the Elemental Crystals?" Hanna asks. "And who are you getting them for?"

"Straight to the point," Hideyoshi replies. "I shall be too: never heard of them, and no-one."

"You're lying," Hanna challenges.

"I have no reason to lie to you," Hideyoshi assures. "I have nothing to hide; if I did, would I have welcomed you so openly?"

"He's got a point," Rob interjects.

"Shush," Hanna hisses.

"If I may," Danny interrupts. "Hideyoshi, while you yourself may not be involved, it is true that a force that identified itself as the Jade Alliance is making moves against the Elemental Crystals; for that reason, we were assigned the task of investigating where the Alliance comes from, assessing the threat risk, and, if required, neutralising that risk. Yours is the third dojo we've visited, and so far, we've found that no-one appears to know anything about the Crystals. This is odd, as the information we've been working from indicates that all five dojos are involved in some way."

"I think I know the source of your confusion," Hideyoshi explains. "While it is true that I work for no-one, the same cannot be said of my fellows within the dojo; there are some among them that occasionally take external contracts."

Danny doesn't respond immediately; after a few moments, he realises Hideyoshi isn't going to continue. "I'm guessing you're not willing to share any details," he concludes.

"I cannot betray the trust of my kin," Hideyoshi confirms. "I can however reveal that I was contacted directly by someone by the name of 'Mamushi'; he was looking for mercenaries to help him on a mission. I relayed that to my kin, and those that accepted the assignment then dealt with Mamushi directly; they returned a couple of days ago, their mission complete. Unfortunately, some were walking wounded, but that is to be expected in our line of work."

"Well, that explains that then," Danny replies, his tone one of mild relief. "Thank you for your time and co-operation."

"It is my pleasure," Hideyoshi smiles back. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, we've got what we came for," Danny assures. "We'll be on our way," he adds as the Scarves stand in rough unison.

"Of course," Hideyoshi agrees, standing with them. "Please, allow me to guide you to the main entrance."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, with the Scarves departed, Hideyoshi returns to his quarters; he activates a small radio. "Koumori calling Mamushi, come in Mamushi."

"Mamushi here; make it quick." Serpentine's voice crackles with distortion.

"They bought it," Hideyoshi informs. "Hook, line, _and_ sinker."


End file.
